Does this bother anyone else?

Nurses General Nursing

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I was just reading a post in another thread and came across the following statement that alarmed me: "i wish that i had chosen nursing in the first place because i need a recession Proof career".

I understand that the economy is facing, and will continue to face, hard times. I also realize that as a result of this people are now more then ever looking into job security when choosing a career. It scares me however, that people are now choosing nursing as a profession based on the thought that it is said to be 'recession proof' and not because they truly have a passion for it.

All I know is that if and when I am a patient in the health care system, I want a nurse looking after me who actually wants to be there and is dedicated to looking after her patients, not one who chose her profession based on job security and is more concerned about cash flow. Am I living in a dream world?

allnurses Guide

JBudd, MSN

3,836 Posts

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

You can do a good job without being passionate about it. If someone wants a degree in a profession that will always have a job, great. But the work we do, the daily grind and pain, the stress, isn't really compensated for by the pay. If someone is only in it for the money, they aren't likely to last.

Sue Damones

139 Posts

Specializes in ICU.

I didn't have a passion for nursing. Music and art are my passions, but I can't support myself being a starving artist.

I am dedicated to giving the best care possible to my patients. I have received many nice letters/cards and praise from staff for the care I provide.

I like having a secure job, with a decent paycheck.

Nursing isn't my whole life, and I'm a good nurse.

My point is: Just because nursing isn't your "passion" doesn't mean you don't deserve to be one.

RN1982

3,362 Posts

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

I don't think nursing is recession proof. Many hospitals are cutting benefits and retirement. Doesn't seem recession proof to me. A lot of new grad RNs are having a hard time finding a job because hospitals are more interested in experienced nurses that they don't have to train as much or at all.

ohmeowzer RN, RN

2,306 Posts

Specializes in ob/gyn med /surg.

i agree with all the above posters . you won't last long if you don't have some degree of passion for patients. many new nurses cannot find jobs now , hospitals are just not hiring like they did many years ago ( even last year ..lol) . nursing is not recession proof.. lol

April, RN, BSN, RN

1,008 Posts

I agree with TurnLeftSide. Nursing is not recession proof. Some hospitals are even laying off nurses. In my area, experienced nurses are having a hard time finding jobs, and the new grad situation is just terrible.

Besides, there are nurses and nursing students out there that DO have a passion for nursing but unfortunately just aren't cut out for it. It takes more than passion to be a good nurse.

casi, ASN, RN

2,063 Posts

Specializes in LTC.

Nope.

Nursing for most isn't a calling or passion. It's just a darn good job option that isn't quite recession proof still provides a lot of options to people in a bad economy that most people find they enjoy.

I could be happy and good at a lot of jobs. I just found that nursing was something that fit my needs best.

TuTonka

239 Posts

Well for me it was a true calling but that doesn't mean I do not get burn out just like everyone else But I give 100 percent to every pt I care for and even the ones I don't care for LOL.

TuTonka

Daytonite, BSN, RN

1 Article; 14,603 Posts

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

This is not a new idea. People coming out of the Depression of the 1930s were saying this about nursing too. I heard this a lot when I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. This is not a new idea. You are just hearing it for the first time. Wait until you hear the one about how we need a good war to pull the economy out of the dumper.

LilPeonNo1

38 Posts

I agree, nursing is not by any means recession proof, but I have noticed in my area, a lot of nursing schools/programs are advertising this to the general public. Apparently this is a good strategy for recruiting new students.

pagandeva2000, LPN

7,984 Posts

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

What can start out as a passion can quickly dwindle once exposed to the real world of nursing. Unreasonable managers, nurses eating their young, backstabbing and being treated in such an inhumane manner can damper the spirits of many of the best. In addition, the same patients you are advocating for will report you in a moment's notice if you forget to leave a full box of tissue at their bedside. Administration, patients, families and collagues are basically unsympathetic. A person who does not know how to balance this can burn out quickly.

I always wanted to be a nurse; it was a natural progression from being a home health aide, nursing and medical assistant, etc... Now that I became an LPN, I look and say "WOW...this is worst than I thought..."

BradleyRN

520 Posts

Specializes in Med Surg, LTC, Home Health.
I always wanted to be a nurse; it was a natural progression from being a home health aide, nursing and medical assistant, etc... Now that I became an LPN, I look and say "WOW...this is worst than I thought..."

Indeed. I worked for a brief time in a nursing home and then spent the majority of my CNA years as a home health aide. It was a beautiful job! Then i became an LPN where i had 35 pts, and sometimes was pressured to take over 50 (which i refused)! Then i became an RN, happy that in a hospital setting i would only have 6 pts. It turned out that 6 was 1-2 too many.

It was all a natural progression, and i love taking care of people. I just wish i could take care of fewer of them. Nursing was my calling, and unfortunately i saw early on that most nurses turn in their backbones for a few dollars. And now here we are. Up the creek without a paddle, with a boatload of pts.

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